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In this 30 minute podcast, Paul Graham explains what motivates hackers. By hackers, he's not referring to people who maliciously unleash viruses and worms and bring down major systems. He's referring to advanced developers who dream in code. These hackers, it turns out, are a lot like writers. Here are a few of the things that motivate hackers:

Hackers enjoy challenges, problems to solve.

Hackers believe curiosity is their defining characteristic.

Hackers are smart people, but rather than glorying in their own intelligence, they are unaware of it and feel everyone else is incompetent.

Hackers need quiet areas to concentrate. Working in noisy cubicles makes them feel like “their brain is in a blender.”

Hackers are particular about their tools, and would much rather code in Python than Java.

Hackers thrive on interesting projects.

Hackers would rather not put a new interface on top of bad code. They feel these kinds of projects make them dumber.

Hackers believe that just as some projects can make you dumb, other more challenging projects can actually increase your hacking intelligence.

Hackers make a secret pact that they will not care about money (except to feed a starving family) and that they will pour out their souls into challenging projects.

Hackers clump together — they like working with each other. Hackers attract more hackers.

Hackers dislike working in big glass boxes in parking lots. They prefer the home environment to the corporate one, and despise meetings and teambuilding activities.

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About Tom Johnson

I'm a technical writer based in the California San Francisco Bay area. Topics I write about on this blog include the following technical communication topics: Swagger, agile, trends, learning, plain language, quick reference guides, tech comm careers, and certificate programs. I'm interested in information design, API documentation, visual communication, information architecture and findability, and more. If you're a professional or aspiring technical writer, be sure to subscribe to email updates using the form above. You can learn more about me here. You can also contact me with questions.